Railway hopper discharge gate actuating gearing mechanism



March 21, 1967 WA L, FLQEHR ET AL 3,310,005

RAILWAY HOPPER DISCHARGE GATE ACTUATING GEARING MECHANISM Filed June 26, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 NV m u K i Walter L Floehr I .ee H. Shils their Attorney March 2, 1967 w, 1 FLOEHR ET AL 3,310,005 RAILWAY HOPPER DISCHARGE GATE ACTUATING GEARING MECHANISM m :0TH

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In v e nto r s Walter L. Floehr Edmund R. Aller Lee H. Shls Filed June 26, 1964 their Attorney March Z, 1967 Wl L, FLQEHR ET AL 3,30,005

RAILWAY HOPPER DISCHARGE GATE ACTUATING GEARING MECHANISM Filed June 26, .1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 6

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Inventors:

Walter L. Floehf Edmund R. Aller Lee l-LShils their torney United States Patent C) hio Filed June 26, 1964, ser. No. 378,198 8 Claims. (Cl. 10S-305) This invention relates to mechanisms for operating discharge gates of railway hopper cars.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved gate operating mechanism which incorporates a power train of increased mechanical advantage and is operable with equal facility from either side of a car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gate operating mechanism which is operable from either side of a car and wherein force, -applied at each side, is transmitted to a gate through a common power gear train.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a discharge gate operating mechanism whereby a discharge gate is enabled to |be operated from both sides of a car through a common, essentially unidirectional power gearing. l

A further object of the invention is t-o provide a discharge gate operating mechanism having an operating shaft driveably connected to a discharge gate and driven through a unidirectional power gearing and an actuating shaft operable from either side of a car and driveably connected to the driving gear of the power gearing by another power gearing for increasing the mechanical advantage afforded by the first power gearing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a discharge gate operating mechanism having operating and actuating shafts of the character above described, which is so mounted as to be swingable int-o and out of operative position to permit insertion and removal of a gate without dismounting the mechanism from a hopper.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended cl-aims, and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the discharge gate operating mechanism of the present invention applied to a hopper of a railway hopper car;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 2 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical view taken along lines 4 4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 5 5 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken along lines 6 6 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the scale of FIGURE 6, taken along lines 7 7 of FIG- URE 2.

Referring now in det-ail to the drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved discharge gate operating mechanism of the present invention, while applicable to railway hopper cars for operating discharge gates closing openings of conventional size, is particularly designed for use on hopper cars having openings -of larger size. In a conventional hopper car the discharge openingsare at the sides of cars centerline and the dimensions of each are about 13 inches by 24 inches (13" x 24"). By contrast, in hopper cars now contemplated, the discharge openings will be longer and "ice wider than conventional openings :and extend across the car, with dimensions on the order of 24 inches by 5() inches (24" x 50"). The larger opening will permit more rapid discharge of lading than the smaller, but require a discharge gate of correspondingly larger size and such a gate is not readily openable under the larger load imposed upon it, even with operating mechanisms having inbuilt power gearing such as disclosed in Floehr Patent No. 3,021,798, issued Feb. 20, 1962, and application Ser. No. 151,896, filed NOV. 13, 1961, now Patent No. 3,235,359, issued Apr. 12, 1966. And the difficulty in opening a larger gate with prior mechanisms under normal conditions will be increased to the point of practical impossibility if, due to the nature of the lading or other reason, the gate is then stuck to its frame.

The gate operating mechanism of the present invention enables a gate of a size to close an opening substantially quadruple the area of a conventional opening, not only to be operated readily ibut to be operated from either side of a car and through a common power means of a compactness to be contained readily Within A.A.R. equipment limit lines. In the illustrated embodiment, the improved mechanism, designated as 1, is mounted Ion a frame 2 fixed or secured to a hopper 3 of a railway hopper car (not shown) and bounding a discharge outlet or Opening 4 extending substantially across the car. The discharge outlet 4 is openable and closeable by a discharge or slide gate 5 mounted for horizontal sliding in the frame 2 and slideable between -opened and closed positions through a gate-receiving opening or slot 6 in a front or front end 7 of the frame.

Partly supported in open position on side rails or extensions 8 attached at their frame ends to side flanges 9 integral or rigid with the frame and at opposite sides of the gate-receiving opening 6, the gate 5 is driven between opened and closed positions through one or, preferably, a pair or plurality of laterally spaced racks 10 integral or rigid with or fixed to and extending longitudinally of its underside 11. Each of the racks 10 is driveably connected to a pinion 12 positioned below the gate 5 and mounted against relative rotative and axial movement on an operating or driven shaft 13 extending horizontally across the frame 2 and normal or at right angles to the racks 10. The operating shaft 13 preferably eX- tends through and is journalled at opposite sides of the frame 2 on mounting brackets 14 and 1S, each mounted on the outer side of one of the side flanges 9, the former of which, 14, preferably h-as, carries or mounts a housing 16 formed integrally or rigid with or fixed to and outstanding laterally from it beyond the adjoining side flange. Also extending horizontally across the frame 2 below the gate 5 and journalled in the mounting brackets 14 and 15 is an actuating or drive shaft 17 which conveniently is disposed parallel to and at the level of the operating shaft 13 and spaced radially or laterally therefrom, longitudinally and outwardly of the frame 2. The actuating shaft 17 extends or projects outwardly of or beycnd the first and second mounting `brackets 14 and 15 and, therebeyond, has rigid or fixed to its opposite ends a pair of capstans or operating heads 18, each of which is slotted or apertured, preferably both `radially and axially, f-or receiving an appropriate actuating bar (not shown). l

The force applied by an operator from either side of the car through the adjoining capstan 18 to the `actuating shaft 17 is transmitted to the operating shaft 13 through a power means 19 of sufficient mechanical advantage to enable the gate 5 to be driven through the pinions 12 and racks 10 under all service conditions. A power means especially suited for the purpose, not only by its possession of the necessary mechanical advantage but by its ruggedness and compactness, is the illustrated power gear train r reduction gearing 19 in which there is interposed between the actuating and operating shafts 17 and 13 an intermediate shaft 2t? concentric 0r coaxial with and at one end of the operating shaft and conveniently journalled at its inner end in the adjoining end of that shaft and at its outer end in a boss 21 in a cover plate 22 closing the outer or open end of the housing 16. The intermediate shaft is a crankshaft having intermediate its ends and within the housing 16 an eccentric or crank pin 23 `rotatably mounting an inner, external or externally toothed gear 2d of an epicyclic gearing 2S. The second or outer, internal or internally toothed gear 26 of the epicyclic gearing is also mounted or contained in the housing 16 and is concentric or coaxial with and fixed, as by welding, to the adjoining end of the operating shaft 13. Integral or rigid with or fixed to and offset axially of and outstanding radially from the inner gear 25 is a restraining arm 27, which extends or projects, radially of the gear, outwardly beyond the outer gear 24 and has a bulbous or rounded outer end 28 riding or sliding in a radially disposed slot or guideway 29 formed in the housing 16 o-utwardly of the outer gear. Given a circular motion by the eccentric 23 on which it is mounted but restrained against rotation and limited to an eccentric reciprocal movement by its restraining arm 27, the inner gear 26 on each rotation 0f the crankshaft 2t) will partly turn the outer gear 24, with the ratio of the relative turning of the crankshaft and outer gear and thus the mechanical advantage of the gearing that of the number of teeth in the outer gear to the difference in the number of teeth in the two gears. Thus, in the illustrated epicyclic gearing in which the inner gear 26 has ten teeth and the outer gear 24 twelve, the mechanical advantage of the gearing is six to one (6:1).

The inbuilt mechanical advantage of the one power connection or epicyclic gearing 25 between the crankshaft 20 and the operating shaft 13 is made available to operation of the mechanism 1 from either side of a car by drivably connecting the crankshaft to the actuating shaft 17, preferably by a drive connection which increases the overall mechanical advantage of the mechanism. To this end, there is fixed to the crankshaft, outwardly of the boss 21 in which it is journalled, a spur gear or wheel 3f! intermeshing with a pinion or smaller spur gear 31 fixed to the actuating shaft and together forming a spur or power gearing or drive connection 32, the mechanical advantage of which is equal to the ratio in number of the teeth of the two gears, in the illustrated embodiment two to one (2:1). Thus, the overall mechanical advantage obtained by the illustrated spur gearing 32 and epicyclic gearing 25 is twelve to one (12:1), an advantage that will be adequate for most installations and one that can readily be increased, if desired, by correspondingly changing the tooth ratios of one or `both gearings. Although in effect self-cleaning and not requiring full housing, the spur gear 32 desirably is partly protected by a cover or shield 33, conveniently mounted on the housing 16 over the gearing by providing it with an inner vertical ange 3d downwardly slotted to slide over bolts 35 attaching the top part of the cover plate 22 to the housing.

The extent of movement of the gate between open and closed posiitons is readily limited, inward by a stop lug 36 fixed to and upstanding from the gate outwardly of and engageable with the front end 7 of the frame 2 and outward by the provision at the inner end at one or each rack 1G of an abutment or stop suitably, in the form of an enlarged tooth 37, which prevents meshing of the rack and the related pinion 12 beyond that point. The provision of such a means for limiting outward movement of the gate 5 ordinarily would require the mechanism 1 as a whoie or at least its operating shaft 13 to be dismounted or .removed from the frame 2 whenever it was desired or necessary to apply or remove the gate. However, in the illustrated embodiment such removal is rendered unnecessary by attaching each of the mounting brackets 14 and 15 to the `related side flange 9 by a pair of lbolts 38, one disposed inwardly of the operating shaft 13 and the other disposed between that shaft and the actuating shaft 17. With this arrangement and the inner bolts concentric, it is simply Ia matter of detaching the outer bolts to enable the mechanism to be swung on the inner bolts and thus swing the pinions 12 to inoperative or out-of-the-way position for return to operative position after installation or application of the gate.

From the above-detailed description, it will he apparent that there has been provided an improved gate operating mechanism having a power gear train of sufficient mechanical advantage to operate a discharge gate of any size now contemplated and operable from either side of a car to transmit fo-rce through that train for opening and closing the gate. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included that do not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope `of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, We claim:

1. A mechanism for operating a discharge gate of a railway hopper car comprising a driving shaft driveable from each side of said car, a driven shaft offset radially from said driving shaft and driveably connectable to said gate for driving said gate between opened and closed positions, and a single power connection between said shafts for transmitting force therebetween and to said gate on drive of said drive shaft from either of said sides.

2. A mechanism for operating a discharge gate of a railway hopper car comprising a drive shaft, spaced heads fixed to said shaft for drive thereof from each side of said car, a driven shaft offset radially from said drive shaft and driveably connectable to said gate for driving said gate between opened and closed positions, and a single power connection between said shafts for transmitting force therebetween and to said gate on drive of said drive shaft through either of said heads.

3. A mechanism for operating a discharge gate of a railway hopper car comprising'a drive shaft driveable from each side of said car, a driven shaft offset radially from said drive shaft and driveably connectable to said gate for driving said gate between opened and closed positions, a crankshaft between said shafts, and power gearing connecting said crankshaft to each of said drive and driven shafts for transmitting force therebetween and to said gate on drive of said drive shaft from either of said sides.

4. In an operating mechanism for a discharge gate slideably mounted in a frame bounding a discharge outlet of a railway hopper car, comprising an actuating shaft mounted on and extending beyond opposite sides of said frame, means on opposite ends of said shaft for drive thereof from each side of said car, an operating shaft mounted on said frame in radially spaced relation to said actuating shaft and pinion-and-rack connected to said gate for drive thereof between opened and closed positions, an intermediate shaft at one end of said operating shaft and driveably connected to said actuating shaft, and a power connection between said intermediate and operating shafts for transmitting force to said gate on drive of said actuating shaft from either of said sides.

5. An operating mechanism for a discharge gate slideably mounted in a frame bounding a discharge outlet of a railway hopper car, comprising an actuating shaft journalled on and extending beyond opposite sides of said frame, spaced means fixed to said shaft beyond opposite sides of said frame for drive thereof from each side of said car, an operating shaft journalled on said frame and offset radially from said actuating shaft, said operating shaft being pinion-and-rack connected to said gate for drive thereof between opened and closed positions, a crankshaft mounted on said frame concentrically with said operating shaft, an epicyclic gearing connecting said crankshaft to said operating shaft, and drive means connecting said actuating shaft to said crankshaft and cooperating with said epicyclic gearing for transmitting force to said gate on drive of said actuating shaft from either of said sides.

6. An operating mechanism for a discharge gate slideably mounted in a frame bounding a discharge outlet of a railway hopper car, comprising a pair of mounting brackets mounted at opposite sides of said frame beyond said outlet and below said gate, an operating shaft journalled in said brackets and pinion-and-rack connected to said gate for drive thereof between opened and closed positions, an actuating shaft journalled in and extending through said brackets outwardly of and parallel to said operating shaft, means fixed to opposite ends of said actuating shaft outwardly of said brackets for drive thereof from each side of said car, a crankshaft journalled in one of said brackets concentric with said operating shaft, an epicyclic gearing connecting said crankshaft to said operating shaft, drive means connecting said actuating shaft to said crankshaft and cooperating with said epicyclic gearing for transmitting force to said gate on drive of said actuating shaft from either of said sides.

7. An operating mechanism for a discharge gate slideably mounted in a frame bounding a discharge outlet of a railway hopper car, comprising a pair of mounting brackets releasably attached adjacent their inner ends and intermediate their ends to sides of said frame outwardly of said outlet and below said gate, an operating shaft journalled in said brackets and pinion-and-rack connected to said gate for drive thereof between opened and closed positions, an actuating shaft journalled in and extending through said brackets outwardly of and parallel to said operating shaft, means xed to opposite ends of said actuating shaft outwardly of said brackets for drive thereof from each side of said car, a crankshaft journalled in one of said brackets concentric with said operating shaft, an epicyclic gearing connecting said crankshaft to said operating shaft, a spur power gearing connecting said actuating shaft to said crankshaft and cooperating with said epicyclic gearing for transmitting' force to said gate on drive of said actuating shaft from either of said sides, said mechanism on release of the intermediate attachments of said brackets to said frame being swingable on the inner attachments thereof to a position to disconnect said operating shaft from said gate for enabling said gate to be removed from said frame.

y 8. An operating mechanism for a discharge gate slideably mounted in a frame bounding a discharge outlet of a railway hopper car, comprising an actuating shaft journalled on and extending beyond opposite sides of said frame, means xed to opposite ends of said actuating shaft outwardly of said frame for drive thereof from each si-de of a car, an operating shaft journalled on said frame and parallel to and radially spaced from said actuating shaft, said operating shaft being pinionand-rack connected to said gate for drive thereof between opened and closed positions, a crankshaft mounted on a side of said frame concentrically with said operating shaft, an epicyclic gearing connecting said crankshaft to said operating shaft, a housing mounted on said frame and enclosing said gearing, a spur power gearing connecting said actuating shaft to said crankshaft and cooperating with said epicyclic gearing for transmitting force to said gate on drive of said actuating shaft from either of said sides, and means releasably attached to said housing and covering said spur gearing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 681,486 8/1901 Poulson 74--52 978,977 12/1910 Wood 74-410 1,308,073 7/1919 Hillman 10S-313 1,415,097 5/1922 Kassler 10S-290 X 1,759,062 5/1930 Neighbour 74-805 2,306,148 12/1942 Woodruff 10S-305 X 2,748,616 6/1956 Foster et al. 74-805 X 3,021,798 2/1962 Floehr 105%305 X FOREIGN PATENTS 23,248 1894 Great Britain.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A MECHANISM FOR OPERATING A DISCHARGE GATE OF A RAILWAY HOPPER CAR COMPRISING A DRIVING SHAFT DRIVEABLE FROM EACH SIDE OF SAID CAR, A DRIVEN SHAFT OFFSET RADIALLY FROM SAID DRIVING SHAFT AND DRIVEABLY CONNECTABLE TO SAID GATE FOR DRIVING SAID GATE BETWEEN OPENED AND CLOSED POSITIONS, AND A SINGLE POWER CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID SHAFTS FOR TRANSMITTING FORCE THEREBETWEEN AND TO SAID GATE ON DRIVE OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT FROM EITHER OF SAID SIDES. 